The Quest for Immortality

”A man.”

Cheng Mo’s expression became a bit subtle.

Hao Xuan quickly waved his hand and explained, ”It’s not like that. It’s not him seducing me. It’s him seducing me to go to a place I shouldn’t go.”

Mo Hua raised an eyebrow, intrigued, ”What place?”

”He didn’t say,” Hao Xuan replied, ”just said he wanted to take me to a place for ’eating, drinking, and having fun’, with not only good-looking but also fun things.”

”I asked him what was so good-looking and fun, and he didn’t say, just smiled ambiguously and said I’d know when I got there. I didn’t believe it, so he said that place was the ultimate pleasure ground of the mortal world, that once you visited, you’d never forget it for life.”

”I was a bit tempted...”

Hao Xuan admitted honestly, his face a bit red, but he still seriously said, ”But I remembered, Junior Brother, you warned us that someone might plot against our Taixu Gate, secretly enticing us to do wrong. I got a wake-up call and pretended to agree, then came back to tell you.”

Mo Hua nodded gratifyingly, ”Very good.”

After speaking, he personally poured Hao Xuan a glass of fruit wine.

Hao Xuan drank the wine poured by his Junior Brother, unable to hide a bit of pride on his face.

”Who was trying to seduce you?” Situ Jian, on the side, asked with some curiosity.

Hao Xuan took a sip of wine and said:

”It’s a childhood friend of mine. Our two families are quite close, and we’re the same age, so we played together as kids. But later, we joined different sects and got busy with cultivation, so we rarely contacted each other.”

”Which sect did he join?” Mo Hua asked.

”Gui Water Sect,” Hao Xuan replied.

Gui Water Sect...

Mo Hua’s eyes twitched slightly.

”Junior Brother, what should we do now? Should I reject him?” Hao Xuan asked.

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, shook his head, ”No, agree to him.”

Hao Xuan was taken aback, ”Agree to him?”

”Yes.” Mo Hua said, ”Not only should you agree to him but also casually mention that you have a fellow member who wants to join and see if he’s willing to bring him along.”

Hao Xuan said, ”Junior Brother, that fellow member you’re talking about, wouldn’t that be you?”

Mo Hua nodded, ”That’s right!”

Meanwhile, Cheng Mo immediately got curious, ”Junior Brother, you want to go? Then I’ll go too!”

Even the usually serious Situ Jian chimed in, ”I’ll go as well.”

Mo Hua was speechless, ”What are you guys tagging along for?”

Cheng Mo replied earnestly, ”We have no other intentions; we just fear you might encounter danger, so we want to protect you.”

Mo Hua: ”...”

Situ Jian thought for a moment, not joking but rather seriously said, ”Junior Brother, it might indeed be a bit dangerous for you to go alone.”

Mo Hua pondered quietly for a moment, then sighed, ”Alright.”

While he wasn’t afraid of any danger by himself, after all, there was still Hao Xuan involved. Hao Xuan’s strength was average, and in case of an unforeseen event, Cheng Mo and Situ Jian could lend a helping hand.

Another reason was that bringing only Hao Xuan might not be agreed upon by the Gui Water Sect.

But if he brought three Taixu Sect Disciples over at once, the likelihood of the Gui Water Sect agreeing would be higher.

Mo Hua guessed blindly that the Gui Water Sect disciple might be needing ”headcount performance.”

Bringing one more might not matter much, but bringing three more might be impossible to refuse.

”Hao Xuan, ask your childhood friend, say you have three fellow members who also want to take a look and see if it’s okay with him.” Mo Hua instructed.

Hao Xuan nodded, ”Okay, I’ll ask.”

The next day, Hao Xuan reported after asking, then said to Mo Hua:

”I told my childhood friend, and he was a bit hesitant, even wary, asking which three fellow members. I told him one was a noble family’s son from Gen State, another from Li State’s Sword Dao noble family. As for you, Junior Brother, I said your family was not prominent, but you are a Formation genius.”

”A noble family’s son, a Sword Dao noble family’s son, and a Formation genius. My childhood friend was indeed overjoyed after hearing this, but he pretended it was a difficult decision, saying he needed to consult his senior brother. However, it wasn’t long before he told me that his senior brother agreed, and you all could come along.”

Mo Hua nodded and asked, ”When will we go?”

”This upcoming break,” Hao Xuan said, ”He said sooner rather than later since not everyone can visit that place. Even if you qualify, you must queue. If we go too late, there may not be a spot.”

”Since it’s our first time going, we will receive special treatment.”

The more Mo Hua listened, the more it sounded like a ”pig butchering scam.”

In a way, it could indeed be a ”pig butchering scam.”

Except they were not shedding blood but slaughtering the Taoist Heart.

Without the Taoist Heart, one is merely a pig.

”Alright.” Mo Hua nodded.

A few days later, the break came.

Mo Hua, Cheng Mo, Situ Jian, and Hao Xuan gathered and then, led by Hao Xuan, went to Gui Water City outside the Gui Water Sect.

Inside the Qianxue State Boundary, outside each sect, there is an Immortal City for the study of Dao.

This Immortal City serves the sect disciples by providing daily necessities such as pills, runes, spiritual artifacts, formations, etc.

There are also inns, restaurants, teahouses, and other places for dining and leisure.

It is also home to many cultivators in their daily lives.

Gui Water Sect was no exception.

Upon reaching Gui Water City, Hao Xuan led Mo Hua and the others to an inn where they met his childhood friend.

Hao Xuan introduced, ”This is Wang Chen, who grew up with me and now cultivates at the Gui Water Sect.”

Mo Hua took a look at this Wang Chen.

He was about the same height as Hao Xuan, slender, and his appearance wasn’t handsome or ugly, just possessing a nondescript demeanor, though his eyes often flickered, indicating he had some cunning.

While Mo Hua was assessing Wang Chen,

Wang Chen was also looking at Mo Hua and his companions.

Seeing Cheng Mo and Situ Jian was fine, but when he saw Mo Hua, he suddenly showed a troubled expression and said to Hao Xuan:

”Brother Xuan, it’s not doable.”

”Why not?”

Wang Chen stealthily glanced at Mo Hua and whispered to Hao Xuan, ”Didn’t you say you brought three fellow members? Why is there a Junior Brother here?”

Mo Hua’s face turned black.

Hao Xuan quickly corrected, ”He’s a fellow member, not a Junior Brother.”

Not only not a Junior Brother, he was even a Junior Brother of Taixu Gate.

Wang Chen was troubled and sighed, ”But he looks quite young...”

His face was just too youthful.

And those eyes, pure and clear, untouched by worldly dust.

Wang Chen then lowered his voice and said in Hao Xuan’s ear, ”...that kind of place, he’s not suitable to go.”

There was one thing he didn’t say out loud.

In his eyes, this ”Junior Brother” from Taixu Gate looked much too appealing to certain types of people.

If he were really brought inside and caught the eye of some noble sons, it would only harm him.